Category Archives: Eileen’s Picks

by

Blue Lightning

From Eileen Effrat
Author:  Ann Cleeves
Blue Lightning
This is the fourth book in Cleeves’ crime series set in the Shetland Islands.  Detective Inspector Jimmy Perez returns to Fair Isle to introduce his fiancée to family and friends.  Shortly after their arrival,  the well  known director of the island’s bird observatory is found murdered. Within a day the cook is found dead.  As a storm rages across the island, no one can get on or off the island.  When forensic help finally arrives, it is of little help. This is a mystery where motive is crucial.  I would recommend beginning with the first in the series, Raven Black, followed by White Nights, and Red Bones.

by

Unwanted: A novel

From  Eileen  Effrat
Author:  Kristina Ohlsson
Unwanted:  A novel
In Sweden,a mother leaves her six year old daughter sleeping on a train while she slips off the train to make a quick telephone call. The train leaves without her and the daughter disappears. The child’s body is found hundreds of miles away with the word  “UNWANTED” scrawled on her forehead. In quick succession, 2 other child abductions occur with the same M.O.. What follows is the pursuit of a ruthless child killer.  This is a police procedural from a new Swedish  author. If you enjoy Nordic noir, give this a try.

by

Budapest Noir

From  Eileen Effrat
Author:  Vilmos Kondor
Budapest Noir
Set in 1930’s Budapest, this is the first book in an Hungarian crime series featuring  Zsigmond Gordon, a crime reporter for a Budapest newspaper. The world is on the eve of war and fascism is on the rise in Hungary. The murder of a wealthy young woman  in a seedy part of the city leads his investigation to the highest echelons of the Hungarian government.  This is the first Kondor book translated into English.  I will be anxiously anticipating the others in the series to be translated—A Spy in Budapest, Sinful Budapest, and Budapest in Ruins.  For an authentic flavor of Budapest back alleys,cafes, and daily life in the 1930’s,this is an excellent choice.

by

A Small Death in the Great Glen

From Eileen Effrat
Author:  A.D. Scott
A Small Death in the Great Glen
For an atmospheric portrayal of 1950’s Scotland, this is a good pick. As Scotland struggles to adjust to a post World War II world, a young boy is found murdered in a canal. Suspicion automatically falls on the town’s “outsiders” —refugee Poles, an Italian restaurant owner, and a band of Gaelic tinkers. As the investigation proceeds, it begins to reveal some very unpleasant secrets concealed by the very “pillars of the town”. Scott’s sequel, A Double Death in the Black Isle, is just as enjoyable.

by

Ashes to Dust

From Eileen Effrat
Author:  Yrsa  Sigurdardottir
Ashes to Dust
The third in Sigurdardottir’s series featuring detective Thora Gudmundsdottir, this does not disappoint.  Set in Iceland’s Westermann Islands,   Thora investigates the murder of four men whose bodies have come to light while archaeologists are excavating the “Pompeii of the North”.  In 1973  a major volcanic eruption occurred, and all the  islanders were safely evacuated.  Who are these men buried in a cellar under volcanic ash?  As the investigation proceeds, the dirty little secrets of this small community are stripped away. I enjoy this Icelandic crime writer immensely.  The plots are always intricate , the characters believable, and the Icelandic setting never fails to impress me.

by

Blue Lightning

From  Eileen Effrat
Author:  Ann Cleeves
Blue Lightning
This is the fourth book in Cleeves’ crime series set in the Shetland Islands. Detective Inspector Jimmy Perez returns to Fair Isle to introduce his fiancée to family and friends. Shortly after their arrival, the well- known director of the island’s bird observatory is found murdered. Within a day the cook is found dead. As a storm rages across the island, no one can get on or off the island. When forensic help finally arrives, it is of little help. This is a mystery where motive is crucial. I would recommend beginning with the first in the series, Raven Black, followed by White Nights, and Red Bones.

by

Dorchester Terrace : a Charlotte and Thomas Pitt novel

From Eileen Effrat
Author:  Anne Perry
Dorchester Terrace : a Charlotte and Thomas Pitt novel
I am a long time fan of Anne Perry’s Thomas and Charlotte Pitt historical mystery series.  In fact I have read the previous 26. This is the latest, and it certainly does not disappoint.  Pitt has moved up the ranks of   London’s Metropolitan Police Force   and is now the newly appointed Head of Special Branch. The year is 1896 and revolutionaries  and  anarchists are causing havoc.   An obscure Austrian Duke is scheduled to visit his English royal relatives and assassination rumors abound.  Pitt’s department steps up surveillance to avoid a possible   international scandal.  For an authentic feel of Victorian England and a good mystery, the Pitt series is a good choice.

by

Katyn Order

From  Eileen Effrat
Author:  Douglas Jacobsen
Katyn Order
This is a fast paced spy thriller set in Warsaw during August 1944. Polish resistance fighters rise up against the Germans, only to face the more ominous danger of a Soviet occupation and the NKVD. The plot surrounds Adam Nowak, a Polish American dropped into Poland by British intelligence as an assassin and resistance fighter, and Natalia, a covert Polish operative. They join forces to uncover a Soviet document from 1940, the Katyn Order, authorizing the murder of 20,000 Polish army officers and civilians. The British plan to use this document at the Potsdam Conference to prevent the Russians from taking over Poland. To stop this, the Soviet NKVD is ruthless in its attempt to eliminate all evidence regarding this document. This is historical fiction at its best as the story moves from Warsaw to London to Berlin.

by

Now You See Me

 

From Eileen Effrat
Author:  S. J.  Bolton
Now You See Me
I have read and thoroughly enjoyed Bolton’s three previous novels, but this latest surpasses all. A series of brutal murders are occurring in London—–strongly reminiscent of Jack the Ripper’s killings 100 years earlier. As the novel progresses it becomes apparent a “link” exists between these murders and Lacy Flint, a young detective on the Metropolitan Police Force. A series of interspersed chapters recount a brutal gang rape eleven years earlier of two sisters. Is Lacy one of those girls? Are these revenge killings? This is a cleverly plotted psychological thriller with some very surprising twists. Bolton’s extensive knowledge of British folklore, mythology, and history adds an additional dimension to the setting. I could not put this book down.

 

by

Outrage : An Icelandic Thriller

From  Eileen  Effrat
Author:  Arnaldur  Indridason
Outrage : An Icelandic Thriller
Icelandic crime writer Indridason is my favorite Nordic crime writer. This is the seventh in his police procedural series translated into English featuring Detective Erlendur of the Reykjavik police. In this sequel,  his subordinate,  Elinborg, takes center stage in unraveling the murder of a serial rapist who drugs his victims with Rophypnol. Elinborg is a very competent and clever female detective attempting to find a balance between family obligations and her professional career. As she and the team investigate, it leads them to a rural Icelandic village with some very nasty secrets. This sequel is much more touchy feely with Elinborg in the lead. While I enjoyed the mystery, I do prefer the grumpy, old fashioned and impenetrable Erlendur.